Happily After All
by whoa nellie
Summary: Beverly and Chakotay tie the knot.


Title: Happily After All   
Author: Whoa Nellie (whoa_nellie40@hotmail.com)   
Series: TNG   
Rating: R   
Codes: C/Chakotay   
Summary: Beverly and Chakotay tie the knot.   
Author's note: Feel free to archive to any pertinent site. This occurs in the Reasons of the Heart timeline after Eye of the Beholder. This is an edited version, if you are over 18 and would like to read the NC-17 version, it can be found at our Sci-Fi Romance website in the Miscellaneous Star Trek section (link to website provided from our author page here at ff.net). 

As always: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing with them.   
Feedback is always appreciated - posted or e-mail. 

Happily After All 

'Well, here we are again   
I guess it must be fate   
We've tried it on our own   
But deep inside we've known   
We'd be back to set things straight'   
(After All by Peter Cetera)   


Happily After All 

"This is silly," Beverly Crusher eyed her reflection in the mirror as she sighed. The Enterprise was docked at the Utopia Planetia Fleet Yards for routine maintenance and sensor refit. Vash had insisted on Beverly having a proper wedding trousseau, so along with Deanna and Vash's ever-present security officer, the four of them were in California shopping along the historic Rodeo Drive. Vash had dragged them into a bridal shop where holoimaging projected various gown designs onto her. 

Deanna reclined in an elegant chair with a champagne glass of synthehol. "I think you look beautiful, Beverly." 

The simple lines of the white gown belied the elegance of the overall design, the long skirt flowing into a short train behind her. "I'm a middle-aged woman with a grown son. Don't you think white is--" Before she finished her sentence, the color of the dress changed to a deep cream, almost butterscotch. "This wouldn't be necessary if we'd had the quick, simple ceremony in Jean-Luc's ready room that we'd originally planned." 

"And I told you that was unacceptable and entirely too boring," Vash said, scanning through the shop's database. "Oooh, try this one." 

Deanna laughed at the frilly confection that appeared on Beverly, full of feathers, sequins and beading. "You know, I did offer to make my wedding a double ceremony. You and Chakotay could have gotten married with Will and me; then all of this would be unnecessary." 

"Your ceremony was beautiful," Beverly acknowledged. Her eyebrow arched meaningfully. "A beautiful, Betazed ceremony. I'm very grateful that the members of the wedding party are the only ones who have to be naked, and even more glad that Vash and Jean-Luc were the ones who stood up with you." 

Taking a sip of her synthehol, Deanna chuckled. "You were fairly gleeful during the ceremony. Did you tell Chakotay about my offer or did you just decide to pass on your own?" 

"He agreed with me completely--once I explained the intricacies of a Betazed wedding ceremony," Beverly left out the part about the private 'practice session' that her explanation had initiated. "He was even agreeable about delaying our wedding until after your ceremony since Vash was set on arranging a non-boring wedding for us." 

"You just don't want to share your delectable piece of candy with anyone else," Vash noted. "You've seen Will and Jean-Luc in their altogether, when do we get a peek at yours?" 

Beverly stepped off the imaging platform. "How's the day after never sound?" 

"Party pooper," Vash shot back. She shot a look at her security officer, "Wouldn't you like to see Commander Chakotay naked, Kara?" 

The security officer visibly struggled to retain her composure at the unexpected question. "I've never considered the matter, ma'am." 

"Yeah, right, like every woman on the ship wasn't jealous of those who got to attend Dee and William's ceremony and more than a little disappointed that Chakotay took advantage of that 'clothing optional' choice for guests." Vash rolled her eyes. "By the way, where's Kennely? Not that it really matters, but he's my usual entourage." 

"Well, ma'am," the security officer hedged, searching for the right words. "Apparently after your last shopping expedition, he put in a request that a female security officer accompany you on future such outings and Commander Lar approved the request." 

Beverly and Deanna exploded with laughter. "What on earth did you do to that poor man, Vash?" Deanna gasped. 

Vash shrugged. "I found this material that supposedly had this unique property and since I certainly wouldn't be able to view it as well if I were wearing it . . ." her voice trailed off. 

"You played dress-up with your security guard," Beverly finished for her. "What was so 'unique' about this material?" 

"It developed certain diaphanous characteristics when worn next to the skin, something about body heat. It goes back to normal when taken off--it's quite remarkable really," Vash assured them. 

The security officer filled in the blank. "Because the material needed to touch skin in order to show the properties, Mrs. Picard had Kennely strip down and drape himself in the material." 

"I let him keep his underwear on, the big baby," Vash grumbled. 

It took Beverly several minutes to catch her breath after the gales of laughter that followed the entire explanation. Finally she was able to speak. "So Commander Lar decided that a female security officer would be less likely to end up on Deanna's couch with severe emotional problems after a shopping expedition with Vash." 

"Hey!" the subject protested. 

"Pretty much," the security officer acknowledged. 

Vash flipped her hair back. "You'll be grateful for that little test when you see the teddy that I had made for your wedding night from that material. Judging from Jean-Luc's reaction to mine, I promise you a very, very memorable night." 

Flushing with color, the security officer removed herself to a discreet distance. 

............................................................. 

"It's not too late to change your mind, Chakotay," Tom offered as he shuffled the cards and began dealing. "I could re-program the Doctor here to be an exotic dancer or maybe an Orion stripper." 

"You most certainly could not!" the EMH protested, picking up his cards. 

Harry studied his own hand. "Sure he could; piece of cake, take five minutes. Of course, it'd only take me three." 

Chakotay took a drink and tossed an opening bid for the hand into the ante pile in the center of the table. "A night of not-entirely-legal Romulan ale and poker is a perfect bachelor party," he said. "Besides, Tom, you didn't have any strippers or dancers of any kind at your bachelor party." 

Data tossed the requisite amount of chips into the pile as did Geordi. 

"I was marrying a Klingon," Tom explained. "Even half-Klingon women aren't exactly known for their tolerance." Once everybody was in, he began dealing out the requested number of cards for each player. 

"Well," Picard began, signaling for two cards, "Chakotay is marrying a red-head who, having known her for the better part of thirty years, can be as intimidating as any Klingon. She can make the walls shake when she yells." 

Riker tossed more chips in, raising the bet. "Given that this is the last of the trio to tie the knot, an uneventful bachelor party is fine by me. The captain's bachelor party alone took ten years off my life." 

"And his nearly got vital body parts taken away," Geordi snickered, folding. 

At the questioning glances, Riker took a long drink and related the story. "I was best man and arranged this grand bachelor party for Captain Picard that included nearly everyone from Starfleet in this sector above the rank of Commander. A ballroom full of captains, admirals, commodores and various dignitaries watched as the cake I had ordered was wheeled in and uncovered to reveal a 60 cm tall Horga'hn. For five career-ending minutes, everyone--including Captain Picard--thought I'd done that." 

"Only to have the caterer read a message from Vash that the cake was her gift to me," Picard grinned at the memory. "She had discovered where Will had made the arrangements and changed them." 

Everyone laughed, particularly enjoying Riker's expression. Data proudly displayed a full house to win the hand and swept the chips toward himself. 

Harry gathered the cards and began shuffling the deck. "So what happened at Commander Riker's bachelor party?" he asked. 

Data explained. "For the commander's party, someone arranged for a conga line consisting of women that he had previously been involved with to parade through the room." 

"Naked, former girlfriends," Chakotay clarified, chortling. 

Riker tossed his chips into the center of the table and had a thought. "If Vash arranged for the cake at Captain Picard's party, do you think Deanna . . .? No, it couldn't have been her." 

Harry anted up and grinned at Tom. "Just imagine how long that line would have been for you with just the women from Voyager." 

"And the Delaney twins leading the way," Chakotay added as he added his chips to the pile. 

"You had twins on Voyager?" Riker asked, incredulous. "Jeez, some guys get all the luck; with all of the crew members we've had on the Enterprise, we've never had twins serving at the same time." 

Geordi opted out of the hand and suddenly grew wary. "Should we be worried about bottles exploding or anything? I mean, given the trio's track record, anything is possible." 

"Handled," Picard assured everyone. "At great personal risk, I fed Vash completely erroneous information on the time and place of this event. She has no idea where we are and I locked her out of operations and tactical systems to prevent her from looking for us." 

"Very generous wedding present on top of the use of the Cousteau for the week," Chakotay acknowledged, raising the bet. "Thank you." 

Tom saw the bet and raised it himself. "Hey, wasn't your cousin coming for the wedding?" 

"Yes, he's my best man; one of his kids fell and broke an ankle--nothing serious, but my cousin wanted to stay with him while they regenerated the bone," Chakotay explained. "He'll transport over tomorrow morning; he's not much of a poker player, anyway." 

Picard was on the verge of claiming his first pot of the evening when a sheet cake materialized in the center of the table along with a card. The icing on the cake was an impressively artful rendering of the cover of one of the bodice rippers favored by the trio. A half-naked woman was being bent back by a half-naked man--correction, a half-naked Indian was ravishing a red-haired, half-naked woman. He picked up the card and read the contents aloud, his stomach sinking. "Chakotay, just setting the mood for your pending nuptials. Warmest wishes, Queen Bee. P.S. It took me nearly half an hour to hack into the computer to find you, Jean-Luc. I was tempted to change some of your command codes but settled for just changing the door code to our quarters. Ring the door chime for entrance, dear." 

........................................... 

Beverly held her hair up, surveying herself in the mirror. Her wedding dress had been delivered a short time ago and she was trying it on. She'd selected a dress that was fancier than she normally would have chosen for herself, but not nearly as fancy as the ones Vash and Deanna would have chosen for her. The soft, flowing lines of the silk, tea-length dress with sleeves formed of loose folds of fabric that fell midway down her upper arms had an classic elegance. The plunging neckline revealed generous amounts of cleavage and the belted waist accented her svelte figure. The butterscotch color complimented her own coloring, her hair an even more fiery shade of red against the fabric. She let her hair fall around her shoulders. She would wear it down, of course; she had an appointment with Mr. Mott in the morning to get her hair and make-up done before the ceremony. 

"Chakotay to Beverly," her computer console chirped to alert her to an incoming call. 

Carefully standing behind the monitor so that he couldn't see her, she activated the console. "Hi, stranger." 

"Hi, yourself," Chakotay replied. "Wouldn't this be a better conversation if you were in front of the monitor?" 

"I'm trying on my wedding dress, so you can't see me," Beverly said. "How are the guest quarters?" 

"Lonely," he replied. "How exactly did I end up being banished here the night before our wedding?" 

Grinning, she pointed out, "Be grateful that I don't have an Aunt Adele arranging this wedding, unlike Jean-Luc and Vash's wedding, or it would have been a two week exile. Vash, at least, is not overly sadistic in her arrangements. Anyway, you could always have defied her instructions on the matter." 

"And she could have removed vital parts of my anatomy." 

"I'm a doctor, I can re-attach anything she removes," Beverly offered with a chuckle. 

"I have a better idea," Chakotay said. "You interested in exploring a loophole in Queen Bee's royal decree?" 

She didn't need to think about it. "Give me five minutes to change." 

"Not necessary." 

Before she could ask what he meant by that, she was materializing in his quarters. A cool draft against her skin immediately drew her attention to the fact that she was completely naked. "I think you forgot something," she pointed out, amused. 

Chakotay studied her with undisguised desire. She was standing in the middle of the guest quarters, relaxed in spite of her nudity. He smiled as he recalled their first night together after they'd been reunited and how she'd tried to cover that beautiful body, embarrassed to be naked in front of him. There was a strong, confident woman in that body and she took his breath away every time he got a glimpse of that self-assured beauty. "Actually I remembered something," he uttered softly. "I'm not supposed to see the bride *in* her wedding dress before the ceremony. I couldn't risk accidentally seeing you in the dress so I had to arrange the transport so you weren't wearing anything at all. Necessary precaution," he assured her, his dimples flashing. 

"You're so thoughtful," Beverly laughed, shaking her head. "But how does that explain the fact that you're naked?" 

"Timesaver," he whispered. Crossing the room to where she stood, his mouth came down on hers for a sweet, lingering kiss. Their bodies molded together, arousal flaring as their heartbeats echoed through each other's body. They were interrupted by the chirp of the computer console. 

"Vash to Chakotay, what is Beverly doing there?" 

Beverly spoke up. "I'm not wearing my communicator. How did you know I was in Chakotay's quarters?" 

"The computer alerted me that Chakotay had a guest," Vash said. "The computer also alerted me that your quarters were empty." 

Remembering how Vash had run interference to keep Captain Picard away in order to give Beverly and him privacy that first morning, Chakotay was tempted to ask where the captain was. Instead, he opted for defense. "You said that I was banished from Fireball's quarters until after the wedding. You never said she couldn't be in my quarters before the wedding." 

"Damn, a semantic loophole," Vash cursed. Behind her the sound of a deep, male baritone laughing could be heard. 

"If memory serves," Beverly drawled with a wink at Chakotay, "You were the one who proclaimed that an energetic ride on a magnificent stallion was exactly what a bride needed the day before her wedding; something about it being invigorating." 

"Hoist by my own petard," Vash sighed. "All right then, saddle up." 

Chakotay reached over to shut off the comm but couldn't resist one parting comment. "I'll send her back to her quarters before morning, Aunt Adele." 

The baritone laughter of Jean-Luc Picard could be heard roaring across the commlink, almost drowning out a very indignant gasp. After Chakotay deactivated the comm, Beverly snuggled back into his arms and nuzzled the warm, coppery skin. "Bearding a lioness in her den just for me? How romantic." 

"To the victor goes the spoils," he muttered. 

Beverly backed toward the bed. "According to Vash, you should never say 'fuck you' to a Starfleet officer unless you're naked and offering." 

"Oh?" 

Feeling the edge of the bed against her knees, she pulled him to her. "I'm naked and offering." 

Her eyes were gazing up at him, big and incredibly blue; her face carried a mixture of love, desire and a hint of naughty mischief. He brushed his lips tenderly across hers, his hands skimming lightly over her skin as if she were a fragile, precious doll. His mouth settled over hers and he gently lowered them both to the bed. Tomorrow more than three decades would evaporate when they became husband and wife; for tonight they were friends and lovers--especially lovers. Her mouth opened eagerly under the pressure of his tongue, allowing him to caress every part of the warm, moist cavern. 

Cocooned in the warmth of Chakotay's strong arms, their bodies intimately entwined, Beverly's world was perfect. Their tongues danced leisurely, swirling around one another first in her mouth then moving into his. There was a timelessness about them, a sense that the world outside the room was frozen in time. The need for oxygen finally intruded and she cradled his dark head as Chakotay nuzzled the juncture where her shoulder met her neck. She shivered under the tantalizing brush of his hand, his fingers trailing up her side to her breasts. Arching into the feather-light caress, she whimpered softly at the sensations that her movement created. Idly, he cupped one breast and began toying with the stiffened and sensitized nipple. Warm breath against her skin interspersed with hot caresses of his tongue only added to her arousal along with the streaks of pleasure from every touch of his fingers on her breast. Chakotay lifted his head to claim her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. 

"I love you, Beverly," he rasped hoarsely when he broke the kiss. Her arms tightened around him and her body arched under him when she reached her climax, his name a breathless gasp from her kiss-swollen lips. 

"I love you, Chakotay," she panted softly. 

Her words, a tender and heartfelt caress, sent him over the edge as his body found release. Rolling them, he settled her against his chest feeling their heart rates gradually slow. "Have I thanked you yet?" he asked quietly. 

"For what?" 

"Agreeing to share the rest of my life with me," he replied. 

Beverly raised her head to brush a lingering kiss across his full, luscious lips. "Have I thanked you for asking me?" 

"I think you just did," he grinned. "At least I certainly feel like I've been rewarded." 

"Wait until the wedding night," Beverly cooed seductively. "Speaking of which, I should get back to my quarters. Unless you beamed my dress onto a hanger in the closet when you brought me here, it's laying on the floor and will get wrinkled. I can understand clothes being strewn around after sex, but I think this is the first time my clothes were left in a crumpled heap two decks away after sex." 

"I'm very talented," Chakotay winked suggestively. 

Stretching luxuriantly, blissfully content, she remarked, "You certainly are." 

............................................ 

"Sleep well?" Picard asked almost innocently--almost. 

Beverly flushed. She was having breakfast with Jean-Luc six hours before the ceremony. Vash was off taking care of final arrangements after having strictly forbidden Chakotay and her from being in the same room at the same time until the wedding. "I slept just fine," she assured him, her face hot. 

Picard spread jam on a bagel. "The yacht is ready, I even left two bottles of Chateau Picard in the galley for your honeymoon. I make no promises as to what Vash may have left for your honeymoon, however." 

"Thank you and it couldn't be any worse--or better-- than what she gave me at my bachelorette party," Beverly chuckled. 

"I can only imagine," Picard sighed. 

She suddenly laughed. "I remember the first time I met her. You had completely forgotten that I would be by for breakfast and there you were having breakfast with her. I don't think I've ever seen you look like a deer caught in the beam of a wrist light before." 

"Then the two of you started tag-team torturing me," he remarked wryly. 

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," she shrugged. "I do remember being impressed with how quickly she thought on the fly. She didn't even miss a beat when I started in on you." 

"Most impressive," Picard retorted good-naturedly. 

Beverly poured herself more coffee. "She makes you happy." 

"Yes." 

"A dream come true," she pointedly observed. They both knew that she was referring to some rather vivid dreams he'd had during their experience on Kesprytt. 

Picard silently nodded in agreement before gingerly setting his cup down. "What about you?" 

"I loved Jack, a part of me always will; but I haven't been this happy and content since the last time Jack was home on leave before . . . " her voice trailed off. "I've been thinking about Jack a lot lately. He's the only man I've ever been married to until today and I know that he would want me to be happy. I certainly haven't spent my life mourning for him, but it still feels strange." 

Picard reached over to cover one of her hands with his. "Jack would have liked Commander Chakotay." 

"Thank you," she patted his hand. "But more importantly, my friends here on the Enterprise like him." 

"He even has Vash's stamp of approval," he noted. 

"More like her stamp of foot," she chortled recalling the conversation of the previous evening. "And I take it from your willingness to perform the ceremony that I have your approval as well?" 

"Absolutely," he assured her. "It's ironic, there was a time when I imagined us getting married." 

Beverly took a sip of her coffee. "In one timeline we did, remember?" 

Picard nodded. "I also remember that we got divorced; apparently we weren't meant to be any more than friends in any reality." 

"I did get to be a captain though," she pointed out. "If that much comes true, then I'll look forward to having Chakotay serve under me." 

At the impish expression that he was sure resulted from too much time spent with his wife, Picard could only shake his head and sigh. 

........................................... 

Chakotay accepted the congratulatory handshake of another well-wisher. The ceremony had gone perfectly and the reception was now in full swing. Beverly had been a vision of angelic beauty in her silk dress and matching flowers in her hair. He looked around the room and spotted her talking animatedly with several members of her medical staff. Their first dance as husband and wife had been a waltz--something Fireball had taught him during one of their coordinated leaves. He noticed Janeway, in full dress uniform, making her way over to him; many of Voyager's former crew had been in attendance for the wedding. 

"It was a beautiful ceremony, Chakotay," Janeway said when she reached him. "You look very handsome in a tuxedo." 

Chakotay tugged at his collar. "Thank you. I've never actually worn one before but Mrs. Picard informed me that the dress Beverly selected just demanded that I be in a tux today." 

"Clothes are becoming so forceful anymore," Janeway remarked with a wink. "They'll probably be rising up for synthetic rights before long." 

"That ought to be an interesting struggle," he laughed. "Speaking of interesting, I noticed that you were here with someone--a man." 

Janeway flushed. "Morgan Bateson, captain of the U.S.S. Bozeman." 

"And?" Chakotay prompted. 

"He is a very interesting man," she replied nonchalantly. At Chakotay's pointed look, she grinned and continued. "We met briefly at one of the celebrations following our return. He's from the year 2278; his ship was caught in a temporal loop until Picard and the Enterprise broke it. When I began forming the Eh-Cu'oral task force, he came to mind. My meeting with him to discuss joining the task force turned into an all-night conversation about life." 

Studying the way she gazed at Bateson standing several feet away in conversation with the Picards, he made an observation. "You like him." 

Janeway tugged at her uniform sleeve. "Yes. It's probably inappropriate for us to be involved while he's serving on my task force, but I just couldn't help myself and we are the same rank not to mention mature adults . . . " 

"Does he feel the same way?" 

"I think so; he agreed to be my date for your wedding and he hasn't tried to hide our involvement from anyone here," she replied. "It's been less than a month so it's still too early to say it's serious." 

Chakotay watched as Vash said something to Bateson while toying with the pips on his collar. Captain Bateson was obviously a friend of the Picards. "I expect an invitation to the wedding, Kathryn." 

"If things ever get that far, you'll be first on my list," she promised. "It's hard to believe, isn't it? When we met nine years ago, would you have imagined us here like this?" 

"No," he acknowledged. "I guess I should thank you for rejecting my advances back on Voyager. You were right all along, it wouldn't have been right between us; at least it wouldn't have been as good as things are with Beverly and me. I hope things are just as good for you and your Captain Bateson." 

"Time will tell," she said. "I hope so too." 

.......................... 

"Your harem is abandoning you," Picard murmured to Vash as they danced. "Will belongs to Deanna, Chakotay now belongs to Beverly and it looks like Morgan is straying as well. What will the Queen Bee do when all of her court is gone?" 

Vash glanced over to where Morgan was dancing with Kathryn Janeway, he threw his head back in laughter at something Kathryn whispered to him. "I guess you'll just have to work that much harder, won't you, Jean-Luc?" 

"Taskmaster," he clucked back at her, dropping her into an elaborate dip in the middle of the dance floor. 

"Besides," she continued, a little breathless. "I still have Data and Geordi and it's not like the Enterprise has any shortage of crewmembers." 

"My crew does not exist as your personal pets," Picard admonished her gently. 

Vash led the way off the floor as the song ended. "Of course not, that's your job description, sweetheart; they're just your support staff." 

........................... 

Chakotay pulled Beverly closer. They were out on the dance floor lazily swaying to the soft, romantic melody. The festivities were beginning to wind down; the cake had been cut and the first pieces gently fed to one another. They would be leaving for a week-long honeymoon shortly but at the moment they were lost in the music. 

The strong shoulders and broad chest made an ideal resting spot for Beverly to lay her head. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her new husband's arms surrounding her. After all the years of Mok'Bara training and it's philosophy on inner peace, she had found that perfect serenity dancing with Chakotay. "I have a surprise for you," she murmured. 

"If you tell me this has all been a holographic practical joke--" 

"No, absolutely not," she assured him nuzzling his jaw tenderly. "We are legally man and wife, Mr. and Mrs. . . . What's my last name now?" 

His cheek lay on the silky cushion of her hair as he replied. "Whatever you want it to be or you can drop the last name entirely. You've been Beverly Crusher for most of your career, since I don't have a last name to give you, you can keep Crusher if you want. I don't have any objection." 

"Even though . . ." 

"He's part of who you are, he always will be," Chakotay said. "I do envy the life he shared with you, but there's no reason for me to be jealous of a dead man. You're my wife in mind, body and spirit; names don't matter as much as what your heart feels." 

Beverly brushed her lips across his in a tender kiss full of emotions that she couldn't put into words. She held him a little tighter as they moved around the dance floor. 

"I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up back on Voyager in the Delta Quadrant at any second," he said. 

"Why?" 

Pulling her left hand down to touch the wedding ring set on her finger, he smiled. "This is more than I ever imagined possible even in my fondest dreams, Fireball. Remember the psychogenic organism that Voyager encountered?" 

"The one that made you all think you were going home?" 

"Yes, it made us believe that our fondest wishes were coming true. For me that dream was a reinstatement to Starfleet and a full professorship in anthropology. Now here I am, reinstated in Starfleet, an anthropologist aboard the Federation flagship and, on top of that, married to the most beautiful, incredible woman I've ever known. You are so much more than a dream come true, Beverly; you're a dream I never even allowed myself to have come true." 

...................................................... 

"What was with those canisters tied to the back of the Cousteau?" Beverly asked. She set the autopilot and sat back in the pilot's seat. Chakotay was in the back preparing a late dinner since neither of them had eaten much at the reception. She had offered, but he had insisted on her sitting down and relaxing after the long day. 

"Tom Paris," Chakotay called back. "Probably some ancient, twentieth century ritual surrounding weddings." 

She laughed, recalling her tour of the Captain Proton universe that Tom Paris had designed. "I like your friends from Voyager, Tom in particular is quite a character." 

"That's one way to put it," he chuckled. "So when do I get this surprise you have for me?" 

"Later." A light flashed on the console, drawing her attention. There was a ship passing near them, a small, private ship going way too fast in the high traffic corridor they were traveling. She dropped out of warp and tried to maneuver out of his flight path. 

"What's wrong?" Chakotay asked from the galley. "We just dropped out of warp." 

"I know," she replied. "There's a ship coming up that's going a lot too fast. I'm try to get us out of his way." 

A sudden jolt threw Chakotay from his feet, his head striking the edge of the table before he fell to the floor. 

"Damn," Beverly swore. She had avoided an actual collision with the idiotic pilot on the other ship, but his warp field had impacted against one of their nacelles. If she hadn't cut the warp engines when she did, both ships would have exploded; as it was they were out of control. She fought the controls, re-routing power from non-essential systems in order to reach a nearby, small, Class-M moon in orbit around Coridan III. The landing was rough, but she managed to set down in a fairly flat, clear area. Only then did she realize that Chakotay hadn't come out of the galley during the emergency landing. 

His eyes opened slowly, his head throbbing. Fireball was kneeling over him, a tricorder in one hand and a dermal regenerator in the other. "What happened." 

"We were forced to make an emergency landing," she said. "You hit your head; I found you unconscious on the floor. You're fine, I'll give you something for the headache." 

"The ship?" he asked, gingerly sitting up. 

Beverly pressed a hypospray against his neck. "I don't know the full extent but most of the systems seem to be online, so it's probably just the engines from the initial impact and minor damage from the landing." 

Chakotay sighed, shaking his head. "No one is ever going to believe that I wasn't piloting when we crashed." 

"We did not crash," she informed him tartly. "We made a very rapid, unanticipated landing due to unforeseen circumstances." 

"I've made quite a few of those myself," he grinned. "It's certainly no reflection of piloting skills as long as you survive the cr-- unanticipated landing." 

The computer beeped, alerting them to an incoming message. Beverly helped Chakotay to his feet and walked over to a viewstation. She responded to the hail and a Coridani official appeared on the screen. 

"Our sensor array detected your situation and emergency landing," he said. Do you require assistance?" 

"You might want to track down the other pilot," Beverly replied. "He's a menace." 

"That has already been done. A teenager out joyriding in his father's ship was the party responsible. We can send a ship for you and any passengers until repairs can be made." 

Chakotay finished a quick damage assessment. "That won't be necessary, thank you. The damage isn't too extensive so if you have no objection to our presence, we can stay here and fix it." 

"The moon is a terraformed nature preserve; many people camp there regularly. You are most welcome." 

Shooting a questioning glance toward Chakotay, Beverly spoke up. "We're actually on our honeymoon. Would it be all right for us to stay here for the week?" 

"Congratulations and of course you may stay a week. If you need anything, just call." 

Beverly shut off the viewscreen and winked. "Camping with technology and a comfortable bed, the best of both worlds. I hope you don't mind, otherwise we'll have to spend at least a day here repairing the engines enough to return to the Enterprise and end up missing our own honeymoon. It's not a week on Risa, but . . . " 

"Anywhere with you is the best thing in my world," Chakotay whispered softly. He drew her to him, his head lowering to capture her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. 

Beverly pulled back, gasping for air. "If you want that surprise, we need to stop so I can properly wrap it." 

"By all means," he panted. "I get the impression that unwrapping it will be my pleasure." 

Chakotay busied himself with straightening up the interior of the ship and beginning a Level I diagnostic of the engines. Belatedly, he thought to send a message with their change of plans so that no one would worry about them. Starting to lower the lights in the bedroom, he changed his mind and turned them back up. Twenty minutes later he was naked, the bed was turned down and soft music was playing. When Beverly first appeared in the doorway he thought she was naked but as she glided closer, he saw that she was wearing a virtually sheer teddy. Her bright red hair flowed down around her shoulders accenting the vivid blue of her eyes. The teddy was trimmed with gold lame' roses that matched the gold swirls on the fabric. Everywhere the teddy touched her, it seemed to disappear leaving the gold swirls playing across her skin. She looked exquisite. "Spirits, you're beautiful." 

She reached the edge of the bed where he was standing. His expressive brown eyes were dark with desire, the rugged handsome face fixed on her every step. She kept her eyes on him, the light playing across the copper hue of skin in a tantalizing display. The teddy had the desired effect, she knew the precise instant that he realized what she was wearing. He was already hard when she entered, but his breathing paused and the entire length of his body tensed when he got a clear view of her outfit. She reached him, her hands stroking the muscled wall of his chest, caressing the smooth, warm skin and rubbing his dark, pebble-hard nipples. Her own body was aching in anticipation, the fabric, although invisible to the eye, rubbed and pulled across her sensitized skin in sweet torment. Gentle pressure on his broad shoulder from her hands urged him to his knees in front of her. She traced the lines of his tattoo before turning around. 

His breath caught in his throat at what he saw. On the upper slope of her creamy, perfectly-rounded, left buttock was a tattoo of a shooting star--a fireball. 

"I wish I could chalk it up to bachelorette party fun," she began hesitantly, "but I had Mr. Mott laser it on this morning. It was a spur of the moment decision while he was doing my hair and make-up before the wedding. I can have it removed if you don't--" 

"I love it," Chakotay rasped hoarsely. "It's perfect; it's you." He covered the mark with his mouth, dragging his tongue across the bright colors. He stood and swiftly stripped the teddy from her, laying her on her stomach on the bed so he could more thoroughly examine her new tattoo. 

She gathered handfuls of blanket and arched into the delicate touch of his fingers amid the wet heat of his tongue. Her body writhed against the bed in overwhelming need. "I wanted something that would have meaning for both of us," she gasped breathlessly. "I know your tattoo has an important meaning for you, but I didn't think it would be right for me to just have one put on. Since you're the only one who has ever called me 'Fireball,' a shooting star seemed perfect." 

Murmuring his agreement, his hands held her hips steady as his teeth nipped at the firm flesh below the mark. His body was aching, a painful throbbing reverberating through him with every heartbeat. He rested his cheek against her tattoo and drew in ragged, shuddering breaths in an effort to slow things down. She so rarely allowed her wild, spontaneous side to show that it was like finding a precious treasure when she did. Brushing one last kiss across the mark, he rolled her onto her back and began nuzzling the small indentation of her navel. His body was straining for her, wanting to join them physically to match the joining of their hearts and souls. Fingers tightened painfully in his hair, forcing him to look up her glistening body. 

"Now," she said softly but firmly. 

Obediently, he licked and nuzzled up the creamy, damp skin, pausing briefly to suckle each breast until the nipples were thoroughly stiff and she was squirming and moaning ceaselessly beneath him. He looked down into her big, blue eyes, his heart pounding hard in his chest from the intensity of the moment. "Husband and wife," he muttered, his voice thick with emotion. 

Beverly smiled up at him, touched by the expression of wonder and amazement on his face and in his voice. She drew his head down, meeting his lips with hers and slipping her tongue into the moist recesses of his mouth. Their bodies began moving in erotic harmony, her breasts rhythmically crushed against the hard wall of his chest. Her gold wedding band flashed in the light, his ring cool against her hip where the warmth of his hands cupped her. Her breath caught in her throat, she was torn between wanting the intensity of their desire to grow and wanting to feel the blissful spasms of release that would consume her when the knot snapped. 

His name was a panting plea from her lips, each syllable punctuated with breathless whimpers. In an instant thirty years evaporated and he was looking forward to a life with an incredible woman, planning a future full of exploring the galaxy together and nights of hot sex, falling asleep in each other's arms. Her body spasmed, a powerful orgasm ripping through her, beautiful in her pleasure. He continued until she opened her eyes. The love in her brilliant blue eyes sent him over the edge and his body found release. 

Her hands trailing along the sweat-dampened copper skin of her husband's back, Beverly listened to their rapid breathing gradually slow. "You know who we forgot to invite to the wedding," she remarked. 

"Who?" 

"That Nausican who knocked you out, if he hadn't given you a concussion, we would never have met and now here we are." 

Chakotay captured her lips in a deep, passionate kiss. "Happily ever after, after all." 

**FINIS**   



End file.
